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We Won't Understand

After the most recent mass killing spree in California we can hear the same cries for stricter gun control and mental health improvements. A lot of this is based on “understanding” why these things happen.

Why???

Good folks try to understand “why” these atrocities happen so they can justify it in their minds, so they can be good with why it happened. Unfortunately you are not going to get the justification that could possible explain why someone would commit murder, much less mass murder. I don’t want to confuse people with understanding the “how” it happened. That is far more important to preventing future incidents.

Because I said so

Again, there is renewed anti-gun fervor running in the California political circles, but this time it is working it’s way even deeper into the civil liberties of all those in the state. A new bill hit the floor that would allow family members and others to petition the court to enact a restraining order that would allow police to confiscate and prohibit future purchase for the duration of the restraining order. I find this incredibly disturbing for several reasons, the most obvious and something that nobody is discussing is that 3 of the 6 murdered were stabbed and stabbed in his own apartment.

The “maybe” this bill is using to paint the picture this tragedy could have been prevented is a lofty statement for sure. While I don’t think anyone within the political circles will say it, their actions clearly make that claim. If this new bill was to be truly effective how much of the private life would have to be evaluated in order to be valid. The proposed bill indicates that the case would need to be brought before a judge within 7 days where the judge will then pass judgement. It seems reasonable that in order to pass an objective court ruling this judge will have to have access to an incredible amount of information, something that I think nobody really wants, but how else can they make an impartial decision. The judges will have to have this information, there is no way around this fact. So the accused can be brought before a judge, theoretically have his whole life made into an open book just in the off chance he could be a danger to society. Even with this incredible breach of civil liberties in this case there were still 3 people stabbed to death.

At what cost

There are 6 people dead and 13 injured, without question this is a tragedy, but how much our the civil liberties of the masses worth? How can we ensure these “tribunals” are not abused and how will we address the very real issue that mentally disturbed people will still find a way to hate, injure and kill. This legislation was apparently already being worked on, but “fast tracked” after the latest incident in an effort to prevent further loss of life. It would be nice for those behind this bill both in politically and public circles to admit this bill may not have prevented any violence, especially the stabbings. Unless of course that is the next push we see, sharp objects being taken away as well.

Emotions are running high, without questions they are fully justified. What I have a problem with is using emotion to make decisions that can severely impact our way of life, our civil liberties.